The yellowbell lizard is not a snake! Description and photo of an amazing creature

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

If a snake looks at you and blinks, know that this is not a snake, but a yellowbell lizard. This amazing animal has no paws, which misleads an unenlightened person.

Where can you find this unusual reptile? The main habitats of the yellow-bellied lizard are Central and South-Western Asia, Eastern Europe, China, Western Africa, North America. These animals prefer to settle in different places. For some, steppes and semi-deserts are suitable, others choose river valleys, and others choose mountains. In order to hide from predators and people, the yellow-bellied lizard digs burrows on its own or hides in those left by other animals, dives into water bodies, crawls under bushes and tree roots. In our country, this reptile, which is scientifically called the armored spindle, is often found in Anapa.

Appearance

The body of this reptile is serpentine - elongated from the sides and goes into a long tail. It grows up to 120-150centimeters. If we consider its muzzle separately from the body, it is clearly seen that this is a lizard. Its head is large, auditory openings are visible on the sides. Adults are yellow, brown or copper in color. They differ from young ones in a darker shade and the absence of transverse zigzag stripes. Young lizards usually have 16-22 of them. As a reminder of limbs, the yellowbellied lizard has tubercles near the anus.

Won't hurt a person

Strong jaws do an excellent job of catching and eating prey. However, for some reason, the yellowbell cannot protect itself from human touches with their help. Therefore, a person can safely pick up this harmless creature and take a closer look. She won't bite. But he can make it so that you yourself let her go free. This animal sprays its enemy with feces that have a pungent odor. So the hand will open involuntarily. Some believe that the yellowbell lizard is poisonous. This is not true. She kills her prey in a completely different way.

Delicious food

To begin with, let's figure out what serves as food for this reptile. It eats insects, invertebrate mollusks, small vertebrates. If you manage to get it, then it does not disdain bird eggs. When hungry, he eats fruits. Interestingly, when meeting with a viper, the yellow-bellied will win. Its body is covered with tough scales, which prevents the snake from biting and injecting poison. And the jaws are so powerful that they allow the lizard to easily bite the viper in half. After that, the snake will be eaten. The yellowbell eats, biting off its prey piece by piece, and not swallowing it whole. Therefore, this process is lengthy. The yellowbell can bite off the tail of its relatives, which it will also eat.

Sad but helpful

As you know, in these representatives of the fauna, the tail grows again. It also happens with the yellowbell. He can shed his tail, which he then grows back.

So, how does the yellow-bellied lizard, the photo of which you will find in this article, cope with small rodents? Very simple. She grabs, for example, a mouse, clamps it in her jaws and starts spinning in place until the rodent loses consciousness. And then the meal begins. Pretty brutal way. But you can't argue with nature. Moreover, the yellow-bellied beetle benefits agriculture by destroying snails, slugs and small rodents that spoil the crop. For the same purposes, you can bring it to your personal plot.

Boy or girl

In the autumn, the yellowbell hibernates. After awakening during the spring, the mating season begins. The genitals of the yellowbell lizard are not visible to the naked eye. And armed with a microscope, you can’t see them. Therefore, it is impossible to distinguish externally a male from a female. In nature, they distinguish each other on their own and do not need human help. And in research labs, specialists know how to do it by observing lizards and doing research.

New individuals

In nature, lizards live 30-35 years. Puberty occurs as early as 4 years, when the reptileis about half a meter long. After fertilization, the female lays eggs. Usually no more than 6-10 pieces in one litter. The eggs are oval in shape and measure 2-4 centimeters in transverse diameter. For 30-60 days, the female guards her cubs and the nest hidden in the foliage. Warmth is what is important for the development of small lizards. It is best if the ambient temperature is about +30 degrees. As a result, cubs about 15 centimeters long are born. Yellowbells can live in captivity. But they will breed only if the owner guesses correctly with the determination of sex and puts a female and a male in one terrarium. And it will be very difficult to guess.

Pets

But usually reptiles are bred not for the sake of reproduction, but to observe their life. Especially the owners like the process of feeding. After all, it is possible to give food to the yellow-tubby from the hand. But do not forget that an untamed lizard will be afraid of you and douse you with liquid odorous excrement. It will take some time for the pet to get used to it.

Prepare a flat, horizontal terrarium, the bottom of which is filled with sand interspersed with coarse gravel. Make shelters. After all, the yellow-bellied in nature hides from heat and rain. It is necessary to install a lamp to maintain the optimum temperature. The terrarium should have a feeder and drinker. In captivity, lizards eat the same things as in nature: insects, rodents, eggs and fruits. You can also give small pieces of meat or chicken. The main thing -monitor the he alth of the pet and not give him something that will make him feel bad.

Our nature is full of miracles. The legless yellowbell lizard, interesting facts about which you found in this article, is one of them. We wish you to meet her in nature to see for yourself what an interesting creature she is.